1. Field of the Invention
The disclosures herein generally relate to an information processing apparatus, a transmission system and a program, and especially relate to an information processing apparatus connected to a transmission terminal, which is connected to other transmission terminals communicably via a network and connected to a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a transmission system to conduct a video conference between remote locations via a communication network, such as the Internet, has become popular. In such a transmission system, by sending and receiving image data and voice data between plural transmission terminals, the video conference is realized. Moreover, according to recent enhancements of the broadband environment, high-quality image data and voice data can be sent and received, understanding the status of the other party in the video conference becomes easier, and the fulfillment of communications by a video conference has been improved.
Moreover, on conducting the video conference using the transmission terminal, a participant of the video conference may connect an external input device other than the transmission terminal, such as a personal computer (PC) of his/her own. The participant displays an image of conference materials or the like on a display unit of the external input device, and discusses the conference materials with the other party viewing them. The external input device in the related art sends the image data of the conference materials or the like, displayed on the display unit of the external input device, to the transmission terminal used by the other party in the video conference via the communication network.
The participants in the video conference share not only the voice data and the image data sent/received by the transmission terminal but also the display data displayed on the display unit of the external input device with the other party in the video conference.
Some external input devices can execute multitasking processes. On a display unit of such an external input device plural regions (called “windows” in the following) generated by different tasks are displayed. Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2011-254453 discloses selecting data to be sent to the transmission terminal used by the other party in the video conference from the data displayed on the display unit of the external input device.
FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the external input device, disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2011-254453. The remote communication terminal, disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2011-254453, shares a region, which the user selects using a mouse, with a transmission terminal of the other party from the plural regions displayed on the display unit of the remote communication terminal.
In the case where there isn't sufficient bandwidth in the communication network, in order to continue the conference, a function of reducing the resolution of image data or lowering the frame rate is required. Such an operational procedure in the transmission terminal is called a “narrow bandwidth mode”.
However, the Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2011-254453 does not disclose, in the case of low bandwidth in the communication network, determination for whether data displayed on the whole screen is shared or data displayed in a specific region of the screen is shared. When the data displayed on the whole screen is in the narrow bandwidth mode, there is a problem regarding detail, such that small characters, displayed during narrow bandwidth mode are illegible.